Financial reward proposed for Malaysian scientists

The Malaysian government is drafting a bill that would provide researchers with financial incentives for pursuing projects with commercial potential.

Based on the United States' Bayh-Dole Act, the bill will award researchers with a share of the intellectual property rights attached to their discoveries.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has also announced plans to purchase technologies developed by foreign scientists and to help local universities build alliances with foreign institutions. The measures are part of the ministry's attempts to speed up Malaysian research and development.